THE LATE COLD WAR AND MODERN POLITICS

1. THE LATE COLD WAR AND MODERN POLITICS SSUSH 25 – The student will describe changes in national politics since 1968.

2. Nixon and Détente • Prior to 1968, most presidents took a militaristic stance with foreign nations. • Nixon took a different approach called détente. • Détente is using diplomacy instead of intimidation to ease tensions between the US and communist nations.

3. Nixon and Détente • Nixon became the first president to publicly acknowledge the Communist government of China. • He visited the nation during his first term. • Nixon felt that good relations with China would give him more bargaining power with USSR.

4. Nixon and Détente • 1972, the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and Nixon negotiated the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT I) • The treaty limited development of certain nuclear weapons and was a diplomatic triumph for Nixon

5. Nixon – Domestic Policies and Issues • Nixon wanted to cut government programs and spending and give more power back to the states. • He wanted to turn back the tide of civil rights legislation and advocated a middle road between instant integration and “segregation forever” • Nixon also took advantage of vacancies on the Supreme Court.

6. Civil Rights and Affirmative Action • Swann vs. Charlotte-Mecklenberg BOE said that School busing was necessary to achieve racial intergration • Affirmative Action – is a policy aimed at increasing minority representation in the workplace, education, etc. by imposing guidelines requiring the hiring or acceptance of minority candidates.

7. Affirmative Action • Advocates claimed that affirmative action policies are necessary to make up for past injustices and discrimination. • Critics labeled it “reverse discrimination” meaning that it unfairly denies opportunities to qualified whites in favor of less qualified minorities.

8. Affirmative Action • Regents of UC vs. Bakke – Supreme Court said that race could be used as a consideration in admission, but the use of racial quotas is a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment • Case did not strike down affirmative action but set a precedent about quotas

9. The Economy • Nixon had to deal with a recession that featured a rare economic occurrence called stagflation. • Normally – inflation leads to an increase in employment; unemployment rises then prices usually fall. • In Stagflation you have inflation and rising unemployment. • Congress was uncooperative with Nixon’s programs and the stock market crashed.

10. Oil Embargo 1973 • Things worsened in 1973 – the US backed Israel in the Yom Kippur War • OPEC – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries imposed an oil embargo against the United States – the refused to sell us oil. • Citizens sat in long lines to pay high prices for gasoline. • The embargo highlighted our dependence on foreign oil

11. Oil Embargo 1973 • Price of crude oil $12.00 per barrel; gasoline went from 38¢ to 55¢ a gallon • Rationing was put into effect – odd number license plate could buy on odd days • Speed Limit was set at 55mph • Year round daylight savings time was instituted to save energy

12. Equal Rights Amendment • Women wanted a constitutional amendment to end sexual discrimination • 1972 ERA passed Congress and was sent to the states for ratification with a seven year limit • It failed to be ratified by enough states and was never added to the Constitution • Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

13. Roe Vs. Wade • Prior to 1973, States could restrict abortions during a woman’s pregnancy • Citing an implied right to privacy ( 9th amendment) Court ruled that laws restricting a women’s right to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy to be unconstitutional • Doe vs. Bolton – grants women the “RIGHT” to end the life of the fetus through out all nine months of pregnancy for any reason??!!??!?!?

14. Watergate • Nixon easily wins reelection in 1972 against George McGovern. • War protest and social unrest made the President and government officials nervous about conspiracies against the president. • Executive branch officials planned to wiretap phone lines at the DNC National headquarters at the Watergate Hotel

15. Watergate • The attempt failed and police arrested five men for breaking into the Watergate offices. • This became known as the Watergate Scandal. • Nixon had not known about the plan; but did participate in the cover up. • Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters for the Washington Post, pursued the story and played a major role in determining how high up it went.

16. Watergate • US Senate holds hearings into the incident • John Dean – Nixon’s personal counsel testified that Nixon knew about the cover up. • Another aid revealed that the president had a secret taping system that recorded conversations that would prove he knew. • Supreme Court has to force Nixon to turn over the tapes. –with 18 1/2 minutes missing • Four days later Nixon resigns from Office to prevent being impeached and convicted.

17. Gerald Ford • Nixon’s resignation meant that Gerald Ford became President in 1974 • Vice President Spiro Agnew had resigned due to a separate scandal and Nixon had appointed Ford. • Ford became the only man in history to serve as both VP and President without being elected to either office.

18. Jimmy Carter • Ford barely got the Republican nomination from Ronald Reagan in 1976 • Carter ran as a “Washington outsider” and defeated Ford in a close race.

19. Carter’s Foreign Policy • Détente continued under Carter with the signing of SALT II • 1979, Soviets invade Afghanistan and caused a chill in Soviet- US relations • SALT II is not ratified by the Senate • Carter implements a grain embargo and refuses to allow our Olympic athletes to go to Moscow Olympics • By 1980 election ,Détente is dead.

20. Carter’s Foreign Policy • Egypt and Israel had been at war on and off since the founding of Israel in 1948 • Egypt President Anwar Sadat and Israeli President Menachem Begin meet for peace • Carter invites them to Camp David for further talks • Carter negotiates the Camp David Accords

21. Camp David Accords • Agreement called for a peace treaty between the two nations and meant that Israel would withdraw from territory taken during the Yom Kippur War. • A few days later, Anwar Sadat was assassinated because of his willingness to negotiate with Israel

22. Iranian Hostage Crisis • The US enjoyed close relations with the Shah of Iran. • Iran was an important ally because of its abundant oil supply and strategic location between Saudi Arabia and the Soviet Union • Shah is overthrown by the Ayatollah Khomeini who imposes an Islamic government on the Iranian people.

23. Iranian Hostage Crisis • The US allows the Shah to enter the US for medical treatments • An enraged Iranian mob storms the American embassy in Tehran and took all inside hostage. • In exchange for their release, Iran wanted the Shah turned over to them for trial. • Iranian Hostage Crisis began in November 1979

24. Iranian Hostage Crisis • Carter refused to turn over the Shah and attempted diplomatic negotiations • He also authorized a military rescue which failed; killing eight US soldiers. • Late 1980, the Shah dies and the two sides reach an agreement and the Iranian government releases the hostages the day Ronald Reagan takes the oath of office. • As a final act of defiance against Carter, they wait until Reagan is officially sworn in as President.

25. Election of 1980 • Problems with the economy – inflation continued to wreak havoc on the country • Carter seemed powerless to do anything about the Hostage crisis • Soviet Union continues to occupy Afghanistan. • Ronald Reagan easily defeats Carter and becomes the oldest man ever elected to the Office at 69

26. The Conservative Giant • “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” – Reagan capitalized on the nation’s dissatisfaction with the economy. • Reagan was Governor of California for two terms during the 1960s. • Reagan believed strongly that government was not the solution to the nation’s problems; it was the problem • He wanted to roll back the New Deal policies and give power back to the states.

27. Reaganomics • Trickle Down Economics – give tax breaks to corporations, small business and investors – this would trickle down to the middle class and consumers. • Business owners would use the tax savings to invest in their business and hire workers. • By the end of his first term, the economy was doing much better.

28. Reaganomics • Reagan believed that the size and role of government needed to be reduced • The US Military had to be built up and strengthened. • This meant that Reagan was spending big bucks on the military; he was cutting taxes and decreasing government regulation in some areas.

29. Reaganomics • Massive spending on the Military combined with less revenue from taxes contributed to a record National Debt • National debt refers to the amount of money a country owes as a result of spending more than it takes in as revenue • The debt would be left for George H.W. Bush to deal with.

30. Reagan and the Evil Empire • Reagan was convinced that the Soviet Union could not be trusted. • He referred to the Soviet Union as the “Evil Empire” • Soviet leader Breshnev and his first two predecessors died during the first few years of Reagan’s term.

31. Reagan and the Evil Empire • Reagan also knew that the Soviet economy could not survive an arms race. • Reagan poured $1.5 Trillion dollars into the nation’s military. • He initiated SDI – Strategic Defense Initiative or Star War defense system – a shield which would prevent soviet missiles from reaching the US.

32. Reagan and the Evil Empire • In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the USSR. • He and Reagan became friends; they were both masterful politicians. • In 1987,the signed the INF treaty which reduced the number of nuclear missiles in Europe

33. The Iron Curtain Comes Down • Gorbachev realized the Soviet economy could not sustain an arms race with the US • He initiated glasnost (political openess) and perestrokia (a restructuring of the economy to allow free enterprise) • These changes and the economic collapse of Communist nations in Eastern Europe paved the way for the fall of communism

34. The Iron Curtail Comes Down • Reagan challenges Gorbachev to “tear down this wall” while speaking in front of it. • 1989, East Berlin announces that people could freely travel to West Berlin; Germans flocked to the wall and began tearing it down • The wall and the Iron Curtain had come down.

35. End of the Cold War • There was an attempted coup in the Soviet Union to remove Gorbachev and his policies. It failed. • The Soviet Union dissolves – it had survived less than 80 years • Ronald Reagan is credited with bring about the end of the Cold War.

36. The Iran-Contra Scandal • 1980s saw a Pro-Communist government come to power in Nicaragua called the Sandinistas. • To counter the Sandinistas, the US backed the rebels known as the Contras by providing training and support • Congress cut off funding, claiming that it violated US Neutrality laws.

37. Iran-Contra Affair • Reagan administration officials looked for other ways to fund the Contras • In exchange for helping secure the release of hostages in Lebanon, the US agreed to sell arms to Iran – the profits would them be used to fund and support the Contras • The deal did little to win the release of the hostages. • This was the biggest scandal since Watergate

38. Iran Contra Affair • In the End, Oliver North, a marine colonel who had been the key figure in making the arrangements, took most of the blame. • He testified on national television and came off looking like a national hero in the fight against communism • Reagan claimed he had no knowledge of the incident and no evidence ever came to light

39. The Great Communicator • Reagan left office with a huge national debt and the Iran Contra Scandal • He is remembered as one of the greatest presidents in US history • He died in 2004 • He had a positive and patriotic vision of America as the strongest nation on earth.

40. The Great Communicator • His conservative values and hard-line approach to the cold war attracted many who blamed the radicalism of the 1960s and 1970s for many of the nation’s woes and foreign policy failures. • His ability to communicate his vision and to communicate with the common man gave him the nickname “The Great Communicator”

41. George H.W. Bush • He had been Ronald Reagan’s VP for eight years. • He defeated Michael Dukakis in 1988 • He also served as Commander in Chief during the Persian Gulf War to throw Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991 • The war lasted 42 days and resulted in the Liberation of Kuwait • His authorization from the UN was to liberate Kuwait – not remove Saddam from power.

42. Election of 1992 • The success of the Persian Gulf War quickly faded. • The economy had taken a down turn. • Using the slogan, “it’s the economy, stupid” the Democrats portrayed Bush as out of touch • He had pledged, “No new Taxes” but had felt forced to raise them to counter the Reagan national debt.

43. Election of 1992 • Bill Clinton, Arkansas Governor, ran as a New Democrat who was moderate rather than liberal. • H. Ross Perot a Texas billionaire runs as an independent; he gained a lot of support • Perot gets enough support 20% to cause Bill Clinton to be elected with less than 50% of the vote.

44. NAFTA • Under Clinton, the nation went from having massive budget deficit (spending more than it takes in) to having a budget surplus • The North American Free Trade Agreement is passed • Ships most manufacturing jobs to Mexico • Critics claim it cost America jobs

45. Health Care • Clinton appoints his own wife Hillary Clinton to head a task force to analyze health care and propose reforms. • Clinton presents a massive government run health care system. • Congress rejects it after a year of debate. • Conservatives felt it was too expensive

46. Showdowns with Congress • Republicans win control of both houses of Congress in 1994 – forcing Clinton to work with a Congress of the other party. • Georgia Republican, Newt Gingrich becomes the Speaker of the House – first republican in forty years • Contract with America – pledge by conservatives to scale back the size of government.

47. Showdown with Congress • Clinton and Congress had a showdown over the budget. • The budget battle occurred when the president and congress could not agree • The federal government gets shut down. – ceasing services to millions of people • The people blamed Congress, and Clinton won reelection in 1996

48. Scandal and Impeachment • Clinton is acknowledged as being a brilliant politician and an effective president. His legacy is attached to a series of scandals. • During his first term, Clinton is accused of taking part in a fraudulent business practices in Arkansas and using his influence as governor to cover it up – known as Whitewater

49. Scandal and Impeachement • He was accused of extra-martial affairs before his election in 1992 • There was questions about his avoidance of the draft for Vietnam • The Final Scandal to hit the Clinton White House was the biggest • Paula Jones accused Clinton of sexual harassment before he became president.

50. Scandal and Impeachment • During the investigation into the Paula Jones accusations, he was asked about the nature of his relationship with a White House intern – Monica Lewinsky • Under oath, before a Grand Jury, he denied that he had ever had sexual relations with the young lady. • More evidence proved the affair and Clinton went on TV and admitted to the affair.